Knowledge to (non)Action for Nonviolence: A Conversation Between Deleuzian Thought and Eastern Epistemology

• In Event: 25.039 - Pedagogy of Heart, Being, and (Non)Action

Abstract

This presentation promotes cross-cultural conversation regarding the theorization of non-violence in education. Through the use of duoethnography, two researchers exchange ideas related to diversifying the notion of non-violence. Author 1, informed by Korean Taoism, Neo-Confucianism, and Donghak (Eastern Learning), argues for non-violence not as the opposite term of violence but as active action (Wuwei). Author 2 utilizes concepts from Deleuze and Guattari to connect non-violence with desire, machine, and the body without organs. We argue, “non-violence” is not a thing, but an “adjective.” Non-violence as “adjective” creates an open-ended space to imagine a different approach to interpreting human interactions. This presentation will provide educators with salient epistemological frames in order to challenge and advance the field of non-violence education.

Authors

• Seungho Moon, Loyola University Chicago

• Charles Tocci, Loyola University Chicago